78th Nishio and Yonezu River Festival

This temple is associated with Tokugawa Ieyasu, as it houses a stone monument said to be the grave of Yata-hime, Ieyasu’s great aunt, located in its temple cemetery. During the Kangen-ko ceremony, a ritual in which wind and string instruments are played in front of the Buddha in harmony with sutra chanting to honor and offer gratitude to the Buddha, many food stalls line the grounds, creating a lively atmosphere. Please note that the event schedule may change or be canceled depending on circumstances.

This festival, which preserves a rice-planting ritual from about 1,150 years ago, is known as one of Japan’s most unique festivals. Six men in red costumes, wearing symbolic wooden phallic ornaments made from carved daikon radishes at their waists, sway their hips to the cheerful rhythm of drums chanting “tenteko, tenteko,” and parade around the shrine grounds to pray for a good harvest.

About 450 years ago, a sea monster is said to have appeared off the coast of Isshiki. Frightened villagers lit bonfires to ward it off, marking the origin of this festival. Six parishioner groups compete in the size of their lanterns, with the largest reaching 5.6 meters in diameter and 10 meters in height. A total of 12 giant lanterns (six pairs) are lined up in the shrine grounds and lit with sacred fire. These giant lanterns are designated as a Tangible Folk Cultural Property of Aichi Prefecture.